The miniseries was reported in development in November 2021, based on the real life of Colombian drug trafficker Griselda Blanco, produced by Eric Newman, Sofía Vergara, and Luis Balaguer for Latin World Entertainment.

Director Andrés Baiz, along with writers Doug Miro and Carlo Bernard, are part of the creative team behind Narcos, and they served as executive producers on Griselda, with Miro and Ingrid Escajeda acting as showrunners.

Colombian singer Carolina Giraldo, known by her stage name Karol G, appears in the cast in her first major acting role.

In January 2022, Netflix released a first-look photo of Sofía Vergara transformed in character as Griselda Blanco, alongside the reveal of 12 newly confirmed cast members including Vanessa Ferlito and Juliana Aidén Martinez.

Filming for the miniseries began on January 17, 2022, in Los Angeles.

During its debut week, Griselda reached number one in 90 countries and topped Netflix's Global Weekly Top 10 TV (English) chart just three days after release, with 20.6 million viewers and 113.8 million hours viewed.

TVLine named Sofía Vergara its performer of the week for the week of January 27, 2024, calling her performance in episode five, 'Paradise Lost,' career-defining.

Some critics in Colombia challenged the production for allegedly glorifying a bygone era of rampant violence and drugs and portraying Griselda as a heroine.

Michael Corleone Blanco, the real-life son of Griselda Blanco, and his wife sued Netflix, Vergara, and others in January 2024 over alleged unauthorized use of the family's image, likeness, and identity; the suit was dismissed with prejudice in February 2024.